Govt seeks pause on WhatsApp usernames
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday issued a notice to Meta over the proposed rollout of WhatsApp’s usernames feature in India, directing the company to submit a detailed explanation of the feature within three days. The notice said the ministry had taken note of public announcements by WhatsApp that it had begun a phased global rollout, including in India, of the feature.
“It is felt that the feature may materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks, by enabling bad actors to solicit and message victims,” read the notice.
In the notice addressed to the Chief Compliance Officer, WhatsApp LEC (Meta), India Operations, the Meta has also been directed to not roll out the feature until consultation on the matter is completed to the satisfaction of the Government.
The notice to the tech giant comes amid rising concerns that WhatsApp’s new username feature could facilitate impersonation, fraud and online scams. The feature is intended to give users greater privacy and control over their personal information. The username feature mimics something available on other apps such as Telegram and Signal, where users can chat without sharing their phone numbers.
The Government added that the feature may facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing of individuals, public authorities, financial institutions, and Government agencies, by permitting the adoption of usernames closely resembling those of genuine persons or institutions
The notice said WhatsApp is an “intermediary” and a “significant social media intermediary” and is subject to due-diligence and other obligations under the framework.
The Government referred to Section 79 of the IT Act and the IT Rules, 2021, which conditions exemption from liability on observance of due diligence, including obligations relating to impersonation, false or misleading information and content that deceives or misleads the recipient about the origin of a message.
It also cited Rule 3(1)(b), Rule 3(2) and Rule 4 of the IT Rules, including provisions related to identification of the first originator where lawfully required.
The notice further referred to Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, which deal with identity theft and cheating by personation using a computer resource or communication device.
“This issues with the approval of the Competent Authority, without prejudice to any other action that may be taken by the Government or LEAs under any law for the time being in force,” the notice said.
